Well, its the start of the Christmas season in theatre as I went to go see ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at The Ipswich Regent Theatre.
Now everyone knows the story of ‘The Wizard of Oz’. But just in case you haven’t. The story is about a young farm girl called Dorothey Gale, who dreams of a better place “under the rainbow”. Once there is befriends a scarecrow, tinman and lion and they all go on a quest in search of The Emerald City!
Directed by Sam Horsfield and music based on the famous Motion Picture comes the famous story live on stage. Starring Charlotte Sheehan as Dorothey, Kelly Flecture as Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch of the West and Martin Leigh as Professor Marvel/Wizard of Oz.
The show overall was very good, the acting and singing was of a very good standard. There was a very good use of pyrotechnics throughout the show. However, I think the theatre should have said before the show started that bangs and flashes were going to be used. I personally am very sensitive to bright light, so being somewhat close to the stage, plus what seemed that the flashes were getting brighter and brighter. Didn’t give me the best experience I was having to wait for my eyes to to adjust after very time it was used. So if like me your sensitive to light you may want to keep this in mind before seeing the show.
It was nice to see a live orchestra playing all the songs during the show. This is something from experience is something you only get when you go and see a really highly budgeted show or London’s West End. So it was very pleasant to see this at a local theatre. This show is aimed very closely at families and children, although there is a hint of adult humour in there too, as well as one or two Disney references. If your looking to have a family night out, then I would say put this on your radar. Is it the best adaption of ‘Wizard of Oz’ I’ve seen? No, but like I said before, this show is very children focused so to some of the show is going to be very obverse to adults. But the story was written for children, so the show never shied away from that, which wasn’t a bad thing.
The only negative I would have, is throughout the show. The production continued to have microphone problems where they would cut out on a regular basis. So this is something they would need to sort out rather quickly.
The show is running from 23rd to 26th of November at The Regent Theatre in Ipswich. Website for the show can be found below.
Coming to you with yet another review. Last night, I went to go see ‘Sister Act’ at The Regent Theatre in Ipswich. I arrived around half an hour before the show was due to start, which is normally plenty of time. But sadly not on this occasion. When I arrived at the box office to collect my ticket, the box office staff originally thought I had already picked up my tickets according to their paper work. I explained that I had not done so, so they spent a little time trying to find them. Whist this was going on the the main entrance to the theatre was already starting to fill.
This was opening night, so it was kind of expected. However, once I got my ticket, the crowd got to the point where you could blearily move. This for me is never good, as I find a get very disorientated. I would have liked the theatre as they knew I was coming to maybe notice I was struggling and take me aside so I was out of the massive crowd of people. Whilst waiting for the doors to open, so that we could go to our seats, it was announced that the show was going to be delayed by twenty minutes due to technical problems. So I began to feel slightly more stressed than I already was somewhat feeling. In the end, overall the show didn’t start until thirty minutes after the original time.
The show ‘Sister Act’ starred Alexandra Burke famous for winning the UK singing contest ‘The X Factor’ in 2008. Deloris Van Cartier (played by Alexandra Burke) a disco diva’s life takes a turn for the worst as she witnesses a murder. She goes to the police, and for her own protection they send her into hiding at a Convent. The last place where anyone will think to look. The first act, I felt was slow, and I struggled to get into it. The second act was more up beat and therefore I enjoyed it more than the first. Alexandra’s singing was brilliant, and you could see why she won the singing contest. However, you could also see that acting for her is somewhat of a new thing. I think after a few performances she would get into her stride within the role.
Overall, it was a good night out. I think more organisation in terms of crowd control at the beginning of the show could have been a lot better. I think for an opening night of a show, could have gone a little better. If you want a good night out and some fun, then go and see this show, but I don’t think it is a must see. I came away from the theatre slightly disappointed if I’m completely honest. But I guess, they can’t go all completely to plan can they.
The VI Critic 